3412 Union Boulevard

Gateway National Bank, incorporated in 1965, was the first Black-owned bank established in St. Louis and the eighth such institution chartered nationwide with significant Black representation among its founders. At the time of its incorporation, the bank had $200,000 in capital, a surplus of $200,000, and $100,000 in undivided profits.

Gateway National Bank played a critical role in providing financial services to the Black community, which had long been excluded from mainstream banking institutions. Despite facing challenges and a period of decline in the late 1980s, the bank rebounded, reporting profits of $20,000 in 1992 and holding assets of $16.8 million. At that time, it was the only Black-owned bank in the city. It took local deposits and made loans in a neighborhood where few other banks focused.

In 2009, Gateway Bank was acquired by Central Bank of Kansas City where it operated until 2012. During that time, St. Louis was the third highest underbanked African-American community in the U.S. according to the FDIC.

In 2012, St. Louis Community Credit Union announced plans to save Gateway by purchasing the existing land. With the help of additional funding from a Community Development Block Grant, as well as support from the City of St. Louis, Stifel Bank & Trust, the St. Louis City NAACP, TIAA Direct and others, St. Louis Community Credit Union is building a new state-of-the art facility on the original site, while still preserving the great heritage of Gateway Bank. The new location wwas called the St. Louis Community Credit Union Gateway Branch. It opened in March 2016.

Gateway stood as a symbol of Black economic empowerment and resilience in St. Louis. Its legacy underscores the importance of community-controlled financial institutions in the ongoing fight for economic equity.